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Teaching Students to Stop Waiting for the World to Change
By Tim Elmore Back in 2006, musician John Mayer released a song for millions of twenty-first century young adults. It was called, “Waiting on the World to Change.” While the tempo is upbeat and cheerful, the lyrics represent a melancholy, even despondent mood. They express a powerlessness to make any difference; that the power lies with “the man.” […]
The Value of Exposing Kids to Extremes
By Tim Elmore I enjoyed dinner with a group of business executives in Cancun, Mexico, recently. During our conversation, several spoke about the vacations they’ve taken with their children and how much they relished those trips. Eventually, however, those parents admitted they worried about their kids’ sense of entitlement. After all, they’d experienced places like the Amalfi Coast, Dubai, […]
What Were You Thinking?
By Tim Elmore In 1994, Mother Teresa gave a speech where she recounted the story of four people on the street in Calcutta. She asked the sisters who were with her to take care of three of them, telling them she would tend to the fourth; the one who seemed closest to dying. As Mother Teresa did everything […]
One Change I’d Make to Engage Kids Better if I Had to Do It Over Again
By Tim Elmore One of the best questions I’ve asked people over the years was this: “If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?” I’ve received priceless pieces of advice, often borne out of regret. I know what I’d say. When it comes to connecting with kids or engaging students, I have […]
A Tool to Foster Better Conversations with Your Kids
By Tim Elmore Let’s face it. It’s harder than we thought it would be. A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that most parents (62 percent) say that being a parent is harder than they expected, and more than one in four (26 percent) say it’s “a lot harder.” Unfortunately, those little tykes don’t come with an owner’s manual, […]
Rent a Mom When You Head to College
By Tim Elmore It used to be that mom and dad’s role was to love their children and to get them ready to be on their own at eighteen when they leave home. It wasn’t just about protecting their kids but about preparing them for life. Unfortunately, many parents and guardians haven’t done such a good job of […]
Six Crippling Realities We Must Address in Today’s Kids: Part 3
By Tim Elmore This is part three of a three-part series that breaks down the six realities that kids today are facing. To read part one of the series, click here. Today, we look at the final part of a three-part series on crippling realities that handicap today’s kids socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. So far, we’ve […]
Six Crippling Realities We Must Address in Today’s Kids: Part 2
By Tim Elmore This is part two of a three-part series that breaks down the six realities that kids today are facing. To read part one of the series, click here. It’s funny how many unhealthy practices were once considered healthy and helpful by medical authorities. Products and drugs we now know to be destructive were once considered […]
Six Crippling Realities We Must Address in Today’s Kids: Part One
By Tim Elmore I spoke to an audience of parents recently and found a common thread among their concerns for their children. One after another shared how their child or teen: Needed extra attention to complete assignments. Was easily upset or paralyzed by normal hardships. Hesitated to take on new projects or opportunities. Struggled to adapt to new situations. […]
How to Cultivate Conversational Intelligence in Students
By Tim Elmore Kristie is a close friend who just sat beside a 22-year-old on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. She told me the young lady talked for hours. It was an insightful exchange that gave Kristie a peek into the world of Generation Z. She felt like she was talking to someone mimicking a social […]
Taking the Easy Route
By Tim Elmore Most moms with young children are exhausted. At least the ones I meet are. They don’t regret having kids, nor do they resent the parenting journey. They’re just weary. Younger kids can sap the energy right out of you. I recall a humorous story about a mom who was with eight children at the park one […]
Nine Ideas for Teaching Moderation to Our Students
By Tim Elmore This is part two of a blog series that began last week by discussing the dopamine addiction felt by many students. To read the first blog in this series, click here. Last week, I wrote about the fact that we live in a generation that’s addicted to dopamine. We live in a society that loves […]
Drunk on Dopamine
By Tim Elmore Our kids today are growing up in a world where they can become addicted to happy chemicals. Let me explain. We live in a society that loves to “binge” on things we like. It may be addictions to drugs or alcohol, but it can also be simple pleasures like Netflix, TikTok, or even junk food. […]
A Lonely Generation Passionate For Relationship
By Kiera Colson Our blog today was authored by Kiera Colson. Kiera is a 19-year-old sophomore at Lee University and was an intern with us at Growing Leaders this past summer. Kiera is a brilliant young leader who is passionate about seeing her generation grow into their highest potential. A two-week surprise vacation turned into a two-year realization […]
Three Doable Ideas to Retain Generation Z Team Members
By Tim Elmore When I talk to managers who say they lose young team members almost as quickly as they hire them, I am troubled. Corporate managers are asking a recent graduate to join a workforce that seems impersonal, like they’re a cog in the machine. While we know it’s tough for those young team members to make the […]
Three Realities That Define Generation Z’s Perception of Leaders
By Tim Elmore I consistently meet executives who are confounded by the attitudes of their younger team members. These leaders witness their rookie colleagues fail to show any commitment or leave after just months on the job. My friend Carl is president of his company and recently met with Hilary and Collin, both young employees who are less […]
Teacher Life Hacks: Two Strategies to Increase Student Engagement
By Tim Elmore Dennis Cook was one of my teachers during my junior year of high school. He was a very effective educator. Upon reflection, I can see now that Mr. Cook focused on connections in his classroom as much as the coursework. By taking time to do this, he accelerated our learning and growth. Mr. Cook practiced […]
Four Ideas to Cultivate Young Leaders
By Tim Elmore I once mentored a student named Rick who could have been voted by his classmates: The Least Likely to Become a Leader. He was unassuming, never assertive, quiet, and even introverted. In fact, I scared him the first time I suggested he should lead a group of peers. When he balked, I knew I needed to […]
How to Stop Faking Courage and Actually Practice It
By Tim Elmore I have not always been a courageous leader. I began my career as a people-pleaser, only appearing to be a leader with convictions. When it came down to making a tough call, I sometimes buckled under the pressure of appeasing others. In my twenties, I neglected to step in and confront a conflict between two […]
A New Wave of Teens Are Breaking Away From Social Media
By Andrew McPeak If you are lucky on Sunday afternoons on the steps of Central Library on Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, NY, you can watch as one by one, the members of the Luddite Club assemble together. They never know exactly how many members are going to show up because most of them have chosen to give up […]
How to Bring Balance to Toxic Competition
By Tim Elmore Have you noticed? Competition rules our day, especially for kids. Students experience constant competition with peers surrounding academic grades, indoor and outdoor sports, social media followers, video gaming, college scholarships, even friends. What’s more, we rank everything. Today, everyone is either an adversary or an ally. I should acknowledge that I’m a competitive person. […]
Leading Disengaged Young People
By Tim Elmore I know a young woman who hosted a graduation party upon finishing college. As she and her boyfriend planned the party together, they decided to create an invitation that included a suggestive photo of the two of them. While it doesn’t show anything private, they appear to be naked behind a wall and smiling as she […]
America: Junk or Jewel?
By Tim Elmore You’d have to be an ostrich with its head in the sand to miss what’s happened to our country over the last decade. We are polarized on many issues, but chief among them is how to even view our nation: Is America junk or a jewel? One side of this issue points out how pitifully […]
Six Ideas for Building a Work Ethic into Generation Z
By Tim Elmore Bob Wagner is hiring for three positions at his plastics manufacturing company. In the past, he’s filled these positions with high school and college students as well as recent graduates. These days, he is interviewing older job candidates. In fact, his top candidate is 72 years old. Why? you ask. Bob would tell you […]
Guiding Kids in a Day of Hyperbole
By Tim Elmore Have you noticed everything today seems exaggerated? Life is happening at high volume and intensity. In a space crowded with noise, capturing people’s attention is the currency. In such an era, we tend to use hyperbole as we communicate. We send text messages using all CAPS, three emojis, and several exclamation points at the end […]
Helping Students to Balance Judgment and Tolerance
By Tim Elmore You may remember watching the movie, Mean Girls. It was an iconic film for Millennials back in 2004. The story was about mean-spirited high school students who required an intervention because of their judgmental attitudes toward frenemies. The movie was rightly named. For that matter, the film Top Gun: Maverick, while it contained stellar comradery, was […]
How to Simplify Students’ Lives Without Making Them Easier
By Tim Elmore Jamie teaches English Literature to high school seniors. She’s also a mother of two teens, so she sees the stress levels of young people today from both angles. She knows deep down that kids need a little stress to perform at their best, but she hates witnessing such anxiety in them. It’s a common narrative: […]
The Connection Between Portable Devices and Substance Abuse in Teens
By Tim Elmore In the past few years, there has been an alarming rise in substance use among youth in the U.S. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that 2.08 million teens, ages 12 to 17, reported using drugs in the last month. They deemed this issue a public health crisis. We already know the high rates […]
How to Turn Frustration into Fascination as You Lead Young People
By Tim Elmore Jason couldn’t believe what he heard from the young job candidate. She became irritated twenty minutes into the interview and exclaimed in a loud voice that the interview was taking too long. Ted, another hiring manager, told me a job candidate walked over and touched his chest to find a heartbeat so they could connect “heart […]
How to Stop Imitating and Start Originating
By Tim Elmore Years ago, social researchers revealed how little the average person thinks on their own. They reminded us that the law of diffusion is constantly in effect and explains human behavior: 2.5 percent of us are innovators. 13.5 percent of us are early adopters. 34 percent of us are the early majority. 34 percent of us are […]
Creating a Game Plan for Educators and Parents on ChatGPT
By Tim Elmore If you haven’t yet heard of ChatGPT, you need to look into it. It is a new app from Open AI, a Silicon Valley tech company that’s heralding it as a game changer. Unfortunately, it may not be changing the game for the better on all fronts. ChatGPT enables you, as a user, to input […]
My Early Take on ChatGPT: What’s Amazing and What’s Alarming
By Tim Elmore My friend, Don Yeager, recently attended the National Speakers Association convention. In one of the sessions, an author stood on stage reviewing the content and writing process of his latest book. Eyebrows went up as he revealed the book had actually been written by ChatGPT. He smiled as he shared his journey using artificial intelligence that […]
A Conversation You Should Have about Grit with Your Teens
By Tim Elmore Max just told me about the project he completed for his Industrial Engineering class. This 19-year-old freshman at Louisiana Tech University had begun the assignment last semester. It was designed to help people in low-income communities enjoy sustainable living conditions. The project required skills in engineering, science, math, and lots of TLC. It was impressive. […]
The Five Essential Soft Skills Your Students Need
By Andrew McPeak Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” You can order “Ready for Real Life” by clicking here. In the summer of 2021, a young man named Norris was “caught” by local police in his Louisiana town—though “caught” means something different in Norris’ town. Several years before, the local police […]
Three Strategies to Help Teachers Recover Their Joy
By Andrew McPeak Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” You can order “Ready for Real Life” by Andrew McPeak today by clicking here. Several months ago, I heard the story of Kiffany Cody. Cody is a special-education teacher in Gwinnett County, Georgia, near where I live, and she faced many challenges […]
What Generation Z Wants in a Leader
By Tim Elmore In this last midterm election, I met a young 25-year-old candidate for city council. He was a first-time candidate and seemed to have the ear of the local public. Voters really liked him. He stood for change—and he represented a new generation of leaders. When I asked him if he was running because he enjoyed politics, […]
How Social and Emotional Learning Can Help Kids Mature
By Tim Elmore I remember the day the story broke. Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife and family. In November 2009, tabloids reported Woods was having an affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. A few days later, he crashed his car in front of his Florida mansion at 2 a.m. Rumors suggested he was trying to flee her home. […]
A Clear P.I.C.T.U.R.E. of Generation Z
By Andrew McPeak Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order of “Ready for Real Life” coming soon. For more than a decade now, we at Growing Leaders have been giving adults training and advice for how to best understand and engage their students. In […]
What Do We Learn About Culture from TV Viewing Habits?
By Tim Elmore Every year, both the media and social media reveal to us how our culture is evolving. From the shows people watch, to the awards programs people celebrate, to the broadcasts and podcasts people tune into, we have much to learn this year, just by observing the habits of American consumers. I have three observations below based […]
What If Our Kids Could Manage Their Own Screen Time
By Andrew McPeak Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order of “Ready for Real Life” coming soon. A few years ago, I read a quote in a parenting magazine where a concerned author and parent voiced the fear that many parents have about the […]
How Parents Steal from Their Kids
By Tim Elmore I recently met with the faculty of a high-performing public high school. In our discussion, teachers mentioned how much parents got involved in their kids’ routines. At first, I assumed this was a positive remark, but later I recognized the type of parental engagement they referred to was not helpful at all. Every school enjoys parents […]
Assembling a Team of Voices to Reach Your Teens
By Tim Elmore Like most mothers, my wife shared a common objection when our kids were teens. She’d make requests of them, repeatedly, but get no response. To be clear, our daughter and son were not hearing impaired, nor did they have ADHD. It seemed they had selective hearing skills: They often did not hear the words clean […]
A Fresh Strategy for Students to Beat Anxiety
By Tim Elmore The numbers keep climbing. Both adults and students are suffering from anxiety levels that are worse than any period we’ve ever seen, including the Great Depression. More than 8 in 10 students admit to struggling with anxiety or depression on a regular basis, and adults report numbers have jumped from 11 percent in 2019 to 41 […]
The Shift Away From Instagram and Why It’s Happening
By Tim Elmore I could hardly believe my ears. Six freshmen college students participated in a conversation I hosted informally on their campus. I brought up the popularity of Instagram accounts, and they immediately smiled, as if they had a secret they were keeping from me. When I asked why they were smiling, two of them chimed in, saying, […]
Two Important Social And Emotional Skills for Academic Success
By Andrew McPeak Growing up, David Aguilar was obsessed with LEGOs. Like many kids he would build creations utilizing his imagination, but unlike many kids David was building to solve a specific problem: he had been born with only one hand. David was born with a specific genetic condition called Poland Syndrome, which caused his right arm below the […]
What Can Betty Robinson Teach Students about Grit?
By Tim Elmore You may have never heard the Betty Robinson story, but it’s worth knowing. It informs our work with students today. Betty was a kid who grew up a hundred years ago in Riverdale, Illinois. In high school, she had to catch a train to her campus, quite literally. One day, she found herself running on the platform […]
Four Ideas to Help Today’s Kids Delay Gratification
By Tim Elmore One of the best decisions my parents made was during the summer of my eleventh year. I begged them to let me go to Bobby Leonard’s Sports Camp, one state over, and three hours away. I pestered them long enough to convince them it was a good idea. My parents dropped me off on Sunday and […]
How to Help Students Stop Making Excuses and Start to Grow
By Tim Elmore I was in a coaching session with a college freshman, who explained to me how she just wasn’t “a math person.” This launched a conversation about how Abby couldn’t do this or that, and that her career was likely very limited. Along with her math challenges, Abby said things like: “I don’t have a creative bone […]
The Seven Best Books I Read Last Year
By Tim Elmore The Seven Best Books I Read Last Year Each year, I enjoy posting a list of my favorite books I read in the last twelve months. Admittedly, sometimes the books strike me simply because of the life station I am in. Books can stand out not so much because they are brilliant for everyone, but because […]
How to Have a Self-Aware Holiday
By Tim Elmore When I reflect on past holiday seasons in my life, I see that I suffered from acute low self-awareness. It wasn’t so much that I ruined Christmas or Thanksgiving for anyone; I just hampered things for me. In retrospect, I see a pattern that offers a cautionary tale for all of us. As a young man, […]